Mercutio
Uploaded by rocketman21 on Dec 10, 2004
Ignorance. Cockiness. Usually these are not characteristics of desirable, cunning, and charming men. But in the Renaissance they were. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet all of these characteristics are wrapped into one man. Mercutio. Mercutio was very much liked by the people of Verona then, but today it would be a different story. He was a bold leader and a persuasive talker. In Romeo and Juliet Mercutio is the most dynamic character.
First of all, Mercutio is a good talker. In the very first words Mercutio says, he is able to convince Romeo into crashing the Capulet party when he said, “Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance” an unthinkable thing to do for he was a Montague. Then he said, “You are a lover. Borrow Cupid’s wings and soar with them above a common bound.” It showed his ability to persuade and convince. Also, he was able to force Romeo into looking at other girls. This was important to the whole story because if Mercutio could not convince him into going in there the story would end before it started. Equally, he later makes a fool of Tybalt before they are ready to fight by saying, “And but one word with one of us? Couple it with something; make it a word and a blow.” Mercutio knew how to get out of things by talking.
Furthermore, Mercutio was a humorous man. In his first scene he makes fun of Romeo and his love for Rosaline. He says, “…of this sir-reverence love, wherein thou stickest upon to the ears. Come, we burn daylight, ho!” He was being facetious. He also makes fun of Romeo’s love life by telling the story of Queen Mab. Later, he again looks down upon Romeo for his interest in who he thinks is Rosaline when he says, “This cannot anger him. ‘Twould anger him to raise a spirit in his mistress’ circle of some strange nature, letting it there stand till she had laid it and conjured it down.” Again, Mercutio denounces Romeo in saying, ”Alas, poor Romeo, he is already dead: stabbed with a white wench’s black eye;” In addition, Mercutio pokes fun at him when he asks why Romeo did not show up the night before. He says, “Nay, if our wits run the wild-goose chase…” and Romeo...